Friday, November 22, 2013

We love our buzz words. In fact, every
industry from business, science, manufacturing, to marketing all have their own
unique set of buzz words. You probably use them in everyday language—out of the
box, forward thinking, face time, core competency, boilerplate, and monetize.

Now comes along a new one from the world of marketing and media. The new
buzzword that is sweeping Hollywood and the entertainment industry is
transmedia. Just like all other buzz words, sometimes its meaning gets lost in
the translation. Some people within the entertainment industry, especially at
the studio level, are calling transmedia the last great idea. It would seem that
the industry is betting the future on this new and emerging concept.

So what exactly is transmedia? It
starts with a big idea or concept, which is developed into a story. The question
is how do you deliver it in a form of a movie or television show that can
maximize its life expectancy and profits? In other words, how do you turn it
into something besides a movie or television show?

Transmedia
storytelling is about creating multiple platforms and formats. The goal is to
use mass media to develop a media franchise. It’s more than just merchandise.
That’s been around since the days of Star Wars. The goal is to create an open
source where the fans actually take ownership and help create content. You
become the artist, and you add content to the original story. Or you enhance the
original story.

A perfect example is the hit television
series, Lost. Followers created countless websites that catered to fans of the
series. The users of the sites created their own mythology, storylines and
explanations of Lost. The writers of the show were amazed at the depth and the
analysis that the fans brought to the discussion. In reality, the fans had gone
beyond the show and created their own world, which was more entertaining than
the actual television series.

Transmedia storytelling involves the
concept of creating multiple platforms such as video games, books, websites, and
spinoffs. But it goes beyond that to include social apps, messaging, phone apps,
media plug-ins, and social networks which help create a sense of community.
These days, the average Hollywood film costs about $103 million to produce and
market. For that kind of money, the industry expects big returns. Although there
is a danger in promoting an open source concept, such as transmedia, Hollywood
believes it’s a necessity in our current business environment. They are
convinced they can create an overreaching narrative structure by implementing
the principles of multimedia storytelling.

Today’s “tent Pole” movies are an
example of where Hollywood and the entertainment industry is headed. It’s clear
that the end game is all about creating the next media franchise, whether that’s
Captain America, Thor, The Avengers, or Twilight. Hollywood is interested in
creating the next media sensation. Who will step up and fill the shoes of Harry
Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Star Wars?

For better or for worse,
transmedia storytelling is not only today’s reality but the future. The days of
stand-alone movies without the prospects of a sequel or franchise may very well
be a fading memory or a distant view in our rear view mirror

I think it’s safe to say that most
Christians believe the Bible is true and is inspired by God. But, sometimes I
think when we read it; we just gloss over it and don’t really look at what it
means. Sure, we might think, that’s nice or that’s interesting, however: we move
on to the next verse. Case in point, Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not
fighting against people made of flesh and blood but against the evil rulers and
authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who
rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”

Interesting scripture isn’t it? Have you ever thought what it really
means? It suggests that we are fighting a war, but one that we cannot see which
is fought in a different realm than the physical world we live in. How do we
apply this in light of the cultural war that Christians have been fighting for
the past two generations? Who is our enemy? And who is the battle against?

Are we
fighting against Hollywood? Intellectuals, Democrats? Republicans? Homosexuals?
Socialists? Humanists? Atheists? Pick any other group that you care to add to my
list. I think we have been approaching this issue from the wrong angle. In fact,
I believe the cultural war is a lost cause. To go a step further, I don’t
believe it was ever winnable in the first place. We are fighting a spiritual
battle, not against people in Hollywood or any other place for that
matter.

Here’s where I think we have gone off course. First, we want
sinners to act like saints. The last time I checked, sinners are sinners. So why
are we surprised when they do things that are in violation of God’s laws? I
think that many Christians are committed to a course of action where they want
to force their will on nonbelievers to conform to our standards. God gave
everyone a free will to make that decision on their own. Let me be clear. I am
not endorsing sin. But we cannot obtain the results we want through political,
social, or any other means. To accept Jesus as Lord and Savior is a spiritual
decision that must be made by each individual. That decision is the kind of
change that will be reflected in people’s behaviors, beliefs and attitudes.

Second, many
Christians see the world as they want it to be, not as the world is in reality.
I hate to break the news, but we no longer live in a Christian society or a
Christian nation. If we want to be brutally honest, we live in a secular society
or what some people call a post-Christian society. There will never be a heaven
on earth no matter how much we desire it. So let’s move on. When you start to
see the world as it is, your entire perspective will change. We are foreigners
in a strange land with customs, rituals, and beliefs that are in direct contract
to ours. In other words, you and I are missionaries. Our goal should be to build
trust, relationships and friendships with the inhabitants of this strange land
that we find ourselves in. We should be building bridges not burning them.

Finally, we as Americans are not the new chosen people. There’s a fair
amount of Christians that believe that America’s purpose is to disperse justice
and judgment. I do not see one Biblical reference to support this belief. We are
way off course when we incorporate patriotism, love of country, the flag,
conservative values, and party politics into the Gospel. In essence, we’re
creating a new religion or a new gospel. Jesus was not a nationalist. He saw
everybody in every country as his brother.

There is just nothing to gain
in continuing to fight the cultural war. It’s time to see it for what it is—a
spiritual war, not a physical war. Here’s the best strategy: Love people into
the Kingdom of God. Don’t be scared of people who look different, think
different, or believe different than you. Engage them in conversation and
dialogue. And, as you do, demonstrate the love of God and your willingness to
submit to His authority. That will defeat the devil at every turn and will
fulfill the one commandment Jesus left us with.—love one another.

If you are in
pain or feeling sick, you usually go to your family doctor. You want a proper
diagnosis. It’s not enough just to treat the symptoms. You want a cure for what
ails you. In some instances, your life may actually depend on a correct
diagnosis.

What about the media? Some say the media is sick. Obviously,
you can find plenty of violence, sex, nudity and bad language. But are these
just mere symptoms or the actual disease? Is there a cure? Recently, there’s
been an increased effort to produce more family-friendly programming that
emphasizes traditional family values. Several individuals, along with various
organizations and foundations, are spearheading the effort with increased
funding to create both family-friendly movies and television series. The goal is
to restore the traditional family hour back to network television.

It’s a lofty
goal. But, again, are we treating the right patient? Is the media really the
issue? I would agree that family-friendly programming is part of the answer;
however, it’s neither the beginning nor the end of a real cure for what ails our
culture. The real patient is the media culture, which I define as a force that
is capable of creating our reality. Often this is a false reality that we accept
as normal and routine.

The media culture can be expressed in four broad
concepts. First, it is a life that is lived in the marketplace where everything
becomes a form of commercialization. As a result, our worth and value is
determined by the size of our bank account. Making money has become our first
priority. It seems like everything in life has to be monetized.

Second, the
media culture is driven by consumerism. We are convinced to spend all of our
money on things that we really don’t need. We are told that our next purchase
will bring fulfillment and happiness; however, seldom is this ever the case.
Consumerism drives our society. Without it, our entire economy would crash.

Third, the media culture is powered by advertising, marketing and
branding. We become the products that we use. Our identity and lifestyle are
wrapped around the media we consume and the products which are advertised within
that media. It’s a form of psychological brainwashing.

Fourth, the media
culture is attained through celebrity. We have been conditioned to want our 15
minutes of fame. Because “it’s about me”, we want to be noticed and exalted. We
want to be important just like the people we see in the media. We are taught
that we can be just like them; therefore, we seek status, power and recognition.
The media culture has an overwriting theme that ties all of these elements
together. Its central message is whatever you want or need you should have
regardless of the consequences. Everything revolves around what you want;
therefore, you are the center of your own personal universe.

When I talk
about a media culture as the patient, most people’s eyes sort of gloss over.
They want simple answers. It’s just easier to blame the media. Many people
believe we can solve our problems by changing the face of media and
entertainment with more family-friendly programming. However, the truth is that
complex problems require complex solutions. There is no easy answer. As I said,
programs that emphasize traditional family values are a good start. But our real
problem is addressing the media culture, and that requires a completely
different approach than just trying to fix the media.

The reason I wrote
my book, The Red Pill, The Cure for Today’s Mass Media Culture, is to address
these issues in detail. I believe it offers a correct diagnosis with real
solutions. I hope you’ll take a look at it. It’s going to require some time and
effort on your part; however, it will change your perspective and view of how
you see God at work in your life as well as in every aspect of our society.
Putting the principles that are within the book into operation won’t be
easy.

It involves
awareness, understanding the real issues, coming to terms with how we have been
influenced as people of faith by the media culture, educating ourselves,
changing our perspective on Hollywood and the broader entertainment industry,
understanding how God is at work in Hollywood, redefining what a mission field
is, the power of prayer, rethinking how we deal with artists in the church and,
ultimately, the raising up, equipping, training and supporting media
professionals who think and work as missionaries.

The bottom line is
unless we deal with the media culture and its impact on our society, we will
continue to have a challenging and difficult time fulfilling the Great
Commission and building the Kingdom of God. At the moment, we are stuck in
neutral and slipping backwards.

This weekend, Katniss Everdeen steps back in to the box office arena with
Catching Fire, the sequel to 2012 sensation The Hunger
Games. With a more aggressive marketing campaign and an expanded
fanbase, it's practically a foregone conclusion at this point that Catching
Fire will top the original's $152 million opening—though it's unclear if
it's even possible to go much higher.

Ahead of the release of the first
movie, it already seemed like Suzanne
Collins' young-adult book franchise was on track to become as big as Twilight
or Harry Potter. Still, The Hunger Games exceeded sky-high
expectations when it opened to $152.5 million, which at the time was the
third-highest debut ever. With strong reviews and good word-of-mouth, the movie
held well from there, and ended its run with $408 million—that currently ranks
14th all-time, and is higher than any of the Twilight or Harry
Potter movies.

In the 20 months since The Hunger Games reached
theaters, plenty of people have discovered the movie at home, and millions of
additional copies of the books have been sold. Also, Jennifer
Lawrence's star has risen thanks in part to a Best Actress win at the Oscars
last year (for her performance in Silver
Linings Playbook).

Even with such a rabid fanbase, Lionsgate's
marketing hasn't rested on its laurels. The advertising blitz is focused on
raising the stakes for Katniss, whose actions during the first movie have
inadvertently sowed the seeds of revolution in Panem. Also, to distinguish
Catching Fire from its predecessor, Lionsgate has opted to show footage
from inside the arena; the lush tropical setting is at least slightly different
from the first movie's forest locale.

With an expanded fanbase and
strong marketing, it's reasonable to assume that Catching Fire can open
higher than The Hunger Games. Unfortunately, without a change in ticket
pricing (Catching Fire is once again in 2D only), it's tough to open
significantly higher than $152 million—the current 2D-only opening
weekend record belongs to last July's The Dark Knight
Rises at $160.9 million. One benefit the movie has is its countless
Thursday night showings, which should account for a minimum of $30 million.
Thanks to that burn-off, there should be enough theater availability on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday to fill demand. Ultimately, an opening north of $160 million
seems like a safe bet.

With another new movie (Delivery
Man) and a few solid holdovers (Thor: The Dark
World and The Best Man
Holiday), this will be one of the biggest weekends ever at the box
office. The current record was set on Dec. 25-27, 2009 when the Top 12 earned
$259.9 million.

While Catching Fire may not be able to expand
significantly on The Hunger Games at the domestic box office, it should
do much stronger business overseas. The first movie earned a decent $283.2
million from foreign markets, which only accounted for 41 percent of its
worldwide total—typically, big-budget movies do at least 55 percent of their
business outside of the U.S. Over the last year, though, the fanbase has grown
significantly, and Lionsgate's marketing has been geared towards foreign
expansion.Catching Fire opened early in Brazil and took in
roughly twice as much as the first movie. It expands in to major markets like
the U.K., Australia, Germany, Spain, China, South Korea, Russia and Mexico this
weekend, and should earn at least $100 million by Sunday.

Opening
at 3,036 locations, Delivery Man hopes to serve as counterprogramming
against Catching Fire. While it may seem like that's insurmountable
competition, opening against a major movie isn't a guaranteed death sentence:
The Blind
Side scored $34.1 million against The Twilight Saga:
New Moon, while Mamma Mia!
took in $27.7 million against The Dark
Knight.

Still, it's unlikely that Delivery Man makes it
that high. While its premise has been clearly articulated, the idea of a sperm
donor having 533 children isn't necessarily all that appealing. Beyond that,
this looks like the Vince
Vaughn show, and Vaughn has been struggling a bit lately at the box office.
The
Internship and The
Dilemma opened to $17.3 million and $17.8 million, respectively, and in
each of those Vaughn had strong support (Owen
Wilson/Kevin
James). At this point, it would be a surprise if Delivery Man could
reach that level.

After earning $3.5 million over three weeks of limited
release, Dallas
Buyers Club expands nationwide in to 666 locations this weekend.
Meanwhile, The Christmas
Candle—the first movie produced by former U.S. senator Rick
Santorum—expands in to around 400 locations after a solid limited debut.

The Weinstein Company releases Philomena
in four locations, while Disney releases animated movie in to one theater (the
El Capitan in Hollywood) ahead of its nationwide debut on
Wednesday.Forecast (Nov. 22-24)1. Catching Fire - $167
million2. Thor 2 - $15.7 million (-57%)3. Best Man Holiday
- $15.5 million (-49%)4. Delivery Man - $13.7 millionBar
for SuccessThe Hunger
Games: Catching Fire needs to at least match the original movie's $152
million debut. Meanwhile, Delivery Man is in fine shape if it can get to
$15 million this weekend.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Picture it: captains of industry
struggling to stay relevant in a world they no longer understand. It may sound
like a Citizen Kane-esque cinematic saga, but it's actually the story
of today's studio executives, say film-industry watchers. The U.S. box office
take dropped almost 4 percent in 2011, to $10.2 billion, marking the second
straight year of decline. The root of the problem, of course, is the growing
popularity of home viewing via Netflix and other video-on-demand outlets. Last
year, consumer spending on video streaming jumped 50 percent, to $3.4 billion,
reports the Digital Entertainment Group. The change has as many implications for
the movie business as digital downloading did for the music industry. Granted,
Hollywood makes some money from streaming sales. But those digital dimes aren't
enough. Add it up and you have a potential crisis, says Christopher Sharrett, a
professor of communication and film studies at Seton Hall University: "We could
well be seeing the end of motion pictures in theaters."

2. "3-D is for
suckers."

So what are moviemakers doing to
bring more bodies into theaters? They're revisiting an innovation of decades
past: 3-D. And not everyone who tracks Hollywood is wild about the trend, saying
it's a passing fad. Plus, action films don't always translate well to 3-D.
Boston Globe film writer Ty Burr recently carped about the "sins
against the visual cortex" perpetrated by 3-D releases Clash of the
Titans,Gulliver's Travels and Green Lantern: They "aren't
just terribly written, they're terrible to look at, with actors' faces separated
from the backs of their heads," he wrote. Of course, Hollywood doesn't quite see
it that way. In a 2010 interview, Clash of the Titans director Louis
Leterrier praised today's 3-D, saying what viewers see on the screen is "exactly
what it looked like on set." But either way, consumers are paying the price for
the new-old technology: Admission to a 3-D flick is generally $3
extra.

3. "Movies
are thinly veiled commercials."

Many moviegoers may
recall how a trail of Reese's Pieces lures the alien out of hiding in E.T.:
The Extra-Terrestrial. That's classic Hollywood product placement, circa
1982. Attracting an alien nowadays would require much bigger bait: Hollywood has
increasingly come to rely on Madison Avenue for income. Indeed, product
placement has doubled in value since 2005, to an estimated $1.8 billion. This
blurring of the lines between entertainment and advertising -- a practice
consumer advocates condemn -- has become so ubiquitous someone even made a movie
about it: Documentarian Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, spoofed
the trend in his 2011 picture Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever
Sold (he financed the $1.5 million film through sponsorships). But Hollywood
argues that it's a necessary part of doing business -- and that ticket sales
alone don't cut it: "Somebody has to pay for all this content to be created,"
says Lindsay Conner, a Los Angeles attorney who has represented film
studios.

4. "New
York? Chicago? It's all Vancouver."

When Hollywood wants
to use a particular city as a backdrop, it faces a choice: scout out settings
and deal with potentially pricey or problematic local production crews, or head
to a place that has a similar look and is eager to please, particularly when it
comes to government financial incentives. Frequently, it chooses the latter,
regardless of the possible visual compromise. As a result, some states, such as
Michigan and Louisiana, have become hotbeds of production. And Canada --
especially the cities of Toronto and Vancouver -- has become such a hub that
it's been dubbed Hollywood North. Even when a specific location is central to a
plotline, filmmakers won't hesitate to shoot elsewhere. A case in point: The
2002 Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama was shot
largely in Georgia, because it offered scenic locations and a solid crew of film
professionals, explains Michael Fottrell, the film's executive producer. An
added bonus, says Fottrell: Some New York scenes could be filmed in
Atlanta.

5. "We
boost sales by limiting your options."

It should come as no surprise that
Hollywood times the release of youth-oriented "popcorn flicks" to the
out-of-school summer months. But it might surprise people just how far studios
take the timing game the rest of the year: If they deem a film unlikely to make
a splash at the box office, industry observers say, they'll release it on a
slow, off-season weekend -- so it won't have to compete with higher-profile
fare, and so it will require fewer marketing dollars. In short, by minding the
calendar (as well as the competition) and ultimately limiting options for
moviegoers, studios are able to sell more tickets to movies that might otherwise
be commercial disappointments, explains Paul Dergarabedian, president of
Hollywood.com's box office division. "The scheduling of release dates is like a
giant chess match," he says.

6. "We scratch Washington's
back..."

Yep, even Hollywood has a lobbying arm: the Motion
Picture Association of America, which spent more than $2 million wooing elected
officials last year. And its positions aren't always popular with either the
public or politicians. Recently, the association, under the stewardship of
former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, pushed for antipiracy legislation designed to keep
films from being easily shared and copied online. But the bills were seen as
restricting the overall use of the Internet and failed to garner support. After
Congress put the legislation on hold, Dodd warned that "those who count on
'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very
carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake." That led
some critics to charge that the MPAA was bullying legislators and prompted an
online petition asking the White House to "investigate this blatant bribery."
The Obama administration declined to comment on the petition.

7. "Based on a true
story...loosely."

Truth is often stranger than fiction, which explains
Hollywood's enthusiasm for telling true stories. There's just one problem:
Sometimes reality gets in the way of the narrative or spoils the tone of a film.
So Hollywood changes it. Not everyone necessarily has a problem with that,
though. Chris Gardner, the homeless man-turned-financial whiz whose story was
chronicled in the 2006 Will Smith picture The Pursuit of Happyness, says he
understood why the film's creators changed the age of his son. In real life, the
events played out when his child was still in diapers; in the movie, he's 5. The
reason? It's hard to capture those poignant father-and-son moments without
dialogue, so the child had to be of speaking age. Overall, says Gardner, "I
could not be more happy" with the film

8. "What you see isn't what
you'll get."

If you've ever felt cheated after seeing a movie that
failed to deliver on what its trailer promised, you're not alone. Moviegoers are
increasingly sounding the alarm that Hollywood plays a game of bait-and-switch,
building marketing campaigns that present a false sense of a picture's style or
subject matter. And at least one film buff has gone to the courts to make the
case: A Michigan woman filed suit in September against a Hollywood distributor,
saying that she was led to believe, through advertising, that the Ryan Gosling
thriller Drive was about, well, driving. Instead, the film "bore very
little similarity to a chase, or race action film," the suit alleged. And the
reaction from Drive producer Graham King? "It's called marketing, you
know?" he said in a 2011 interview. The suit was dismissed in March.

9. "We've got a bad case of
sequelitis."

It's not an actual illness, but sequelitis is the term
movie critics use to describe Hollywood's obsession of late with pictures that
have a numeral in their title. Of last year's 10 highest-grossing films
worldwide, nine were sequels. (The lone exception? The Smurfs -- and even that's
practically a sequel, since the little blue creatures gained earlier fame as
stars of an animated television series.) But if moviegoers are happy to buy
tickets to these pictures-cum-franchises, who's being harmed? Movie mavens
maintain it's stifling originality and resulting in the further
commercialization of an industry that's already overcommercialized. "It's like,
'We can milk anything,'" says Sean Phillips, executive producer of the Yahoo
Movies website.

10. "Of course we recycle. It
pays."

Sequels may represent the artistic equivalent of
recycling, but Hollywood also profits from its real leftovers. As recently as a
decade ago, studios extracted silver from the physical prints that theaters sent
back following a film's run, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars a
year in added profits, according to Edward Jay Epstein, a film-business expert
and the author of The Hollywood Economist 2.0. And today, the industry channels
used props and costumes to auction houses that cater to the growing market of
movie-mad collectors. The only problem with the
squeeze-every-penny-out-of-a-picture mentality is that it's part of the "culture
of the suits," Epstein says. In that culture, extra pennies go straight into
studio coffers or toward blatantly commercial projects -- say, another Smurfs
movie. Sure enough, a sequel is already in the works.

Is it possible
that God is speaking to us through media and entertainment? Can you have an
encounter with God at the movies? To answer those questions depends on your view
of theology. I believe in keeping things simple. Theology doesn’t have to be a
big mystery. Your theology is really about who God is. What is God’s nature?
What is God saying? What is God about? What does God want me to do? Does God
have a plan or vision for my life? Your theology is based on your answers to
these questions. And based on your answers, this is how you are going to view
the media. How are you going to interpret films? Will you see God at work or not
at work in the media? Also your philosophical approach to life will have an
impact on your theology, as well as your generational and cultural viewpoint.

Much of the church has embraced a conservative approach to theology. It
is one that is very popular throughout the Body of Christ. It recognizes sin is
everywhere. The Bible is reduced to a singular story. We live in a world full of
sin in need of salvation. Many Christians see the world as bad or evil;
therefore, all entertainment and media must also be evil. If we adopt this
viewpoint, we are missing a golden opportunity to engage our culture through
media and entertainment.

I John 2:15-16
says, “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If someone loves the
world, then love for the Father is not in him because all things of the
world—the desires of the old nature, the desires of the eyes and the pretensions
of life—are not from the Father but from the world.” THE JEWISH
BIBLE

Most people read this scripture and conclude that the world is
evil. But is it? Are you telling me when you love a beautiful sunrise that’s
evil? Is that not the reflection of the glory of God in His creation? It’s
impossible for me to believe that God would not want us to love His creation.
This is where I think we get it wrong, It’s not about the love of the physical
world or what it offers, but it’s about our attitude. It concerns a proper order
of what God has created for us. When we love the things of the world more than
we love God, we are putting them above Him. The scripture is really about the
old nature. When we embrace God, we will have a proper order of how we view
everything in life. This allows us to enjoy His creation and see His glory
reflected.

Unfortunately,
some Christians have concluded that the world is evil; therefore, Hollywood is
evil. So we have fought back with our protests and our boycotts. But nothing is
simple in this relationship between the Church and entertainment and media. We
have a love/hate relationship. While we are condemning Hollywood, we are
embracing some of the things they offer. We want their positive value and
family-friendly programming. But I think we fail to see the overall picture of
how and where God is at work in entertainment and media.

Have you ever
had a discussion with someone that had the potential to change the direction of
your life? For good or bad. If you haven’t, I guarantee you that at some point
it will happen. And the thing is you might of heard the same words or
statements from other people in the past, but this time its different. Somehow
the words went to the heart and made an impact on a very personal level. You
will have a choice to make, continue on your pathway or abruptly change your
course.

A few years ago, I remember having a talk with this guy that
utterly shook my world. He was a total stranger, and I don’t even remember his
name; however, I do remember that he held a major position within a well-known
Christian organization. We were talking about the media and how Christian could
make an impact in Hollywood. His words still haunt me today.” How do you think
you are going to change Hollywood? How can you have a positive influence in
media and entertainment when it seems that you have very little to work with?”
Perhaps, from his perspective, I must have seemed crazy.

I was attending
a banquet in an old church ( Old St. George in Cincinnati ) that had been
converted into a ministry center. A few months earlier I had left my job and
founded a media ministry and moved into the basement of Old St.George. This
gentleman I was talking to was sitting at my table and had just finished a tour
of the building. He asked me what I was doing. I told him I worked in the
building, and I had founded a new ministry called Victory Videos.

We
were planning on launching a media and training ministry for the development of
future media missionaries. We had recently acquired air time to launch a new
show on our local ABC affiliate, Channel 9. I also told him we were in the
process of building a studio in the basement of the building. I’m sure he could
hear the excitement in my voice as I said that we wanted to change culture by
producing positive and uplifting entertainment with a Christian message. It’s
then that he made the above comments and gave me a look I will never forget. I
looked at me as if I was an alien with three eyes. I’m sure he was thinking
there’s no way you can change anything or make a difference. He had seen my
space. He knew it was a makeshift studio at best with little equipment.

I don’t
remember how I answered his question. I’m sure I said something like with God
all things are possible. To be honest with you, my confidence was shaken. Maybe
he was right. How could I change anything working out of a 130 year old church
basement, 2,500 miles from Hollywood with no money or resources? I don’t know if
this guy had given up. Maybe he thought the problem was just too big and too
complex. Perhaps, he was right. No one person can make a difference. The odds
are too overwhelming. Who was I to think I could change anything?

I had a
decision to make. Do I move forward or throw in the towel? I know I heard from
God to start this ministry. But this guy was right. I had nothing. The next few
days were pretty rough, but I was determined to not let this guy talk me out of
the decision I had made. So I pressed on. And I learned something along the way.
First, you just have to show up and make yourself available. Second, you’ve got
to believe that it’s possible to change things. In other words, YOU can make a
difference. If you don’t believe this, nothing is going to happen. And, finally,
you just have to let God move. Just be a conduit and let Him use you.

Victory Videos
went on to do amazing things. We aired on 15 networks and over 200 TV stations
worldwide. We had hundreds of e-mails every month from people being impacted by
our broadcast. Many people who went through our training program are actually
working in Los Angeles as well as elsewhere in the media and entertainment
industry. Maybe the best way I could have answered this guy’s question was to
say I realize I can only have so much influence and I can only change so much.
But if I have influence on one person, that one person can have influence on
people that I don’t have access to. That’s how we can make a difference.

We never really get to see the big picture or the influence we really
have. It doesn’t make it less true because we don’t see it. Today, I want to
give you a word of encouragement. You can make a difference no matter what
obstacles you face. And don’t listen to the people who are telling you it’s
impossible to change our world.

Whether you work in the media or film industry or any
other job, let God use you where you are planted. See your workplace as a
mission field. I encourage you to adopt a missional lifestyle by building trust,
relationships and friendships. I’m convinced we can change our world by living
the principle that Jesus has taught us. We just have to believe it’s possible.

I’m glad I didn’t listen to this guy all those years ago. Trust
me. I was discouraged. But I picked myself up because I still had faith that I
could make a difference as long as I wasn’t doing it by my talents or in my
strength. Don’t stop believing because belief is all we really have.

Friday, November 1, 2013

After an October that was strictly feast or famine, the box
office looks to level out a bit this weekend. All three new nationwide releases
open at over 3,000 locations, and all three have the potential to start with
over $20 million.

Opening at 3,407 locations, the long-awaited big screen
adaptation of sci-fi novel Ender's Game has the best chance at taking
first place. Originally published in 1985, the book has amassed a significant
following in the three decades since. That can be a deceiving metric, though, as
plenty of adaptations with strong fanbases have only done so-so business at the
box office (Eragon, The Golden
Compass, and many more).

For a book adaptation to be successful,
the marketing needs to find a way to reach beyond the core fans and convince
general audience that it's worth checking out. In this area, Ender's
Game has struggled a bit. From a story perspective, it's unclear what
the immediate stakes are—mankind fended off an alien invasion at some point in
the past, but it's hard to tell if there's another one on the immediate horizon.
That wouldn't be as big an issue if there was a compelling central character for
audiences to rally behind, but unfortunately ads have largely focused on Harrison
Ford's gruff military commander instead of title character
Ender.

Additionally, Ender's Game may be constrained a bit by the
sci-fi genre. Aside from Gravity—which
isn't really sci-fi anyway—the genre has had a tough time this year. Elysium and
After
Earth, for example, opened to just $29.8 million and $27.5 million,
respectively, which were both disappointing given their budgets and marketing
spend. Without really connecting with mainstream audiences, it's likely that
Ender's winds up at around the same level.

One positive sign for
Ender's Game, however, is its strong pre-sales data. Fandango is
reporting that it's currently outselling Oblivion and
Pacific
Rim, both of which opened over $37 million.Free Birds,
the first fully animated movie from effects house Reel FX, opens at 3,736
locations this weekend. Relativity Media has driven awareness with an aggressive
marketing campaign, though it hasn't been the most compelling material. Instead
of pushing the inventive story (turkeys travel back in time to end
Thanksgiving!) commercials have focused exclusively on hijinks that look like
they could have been cherry picked from any number of past animated
movies.

The movie does have one serious advantage, though—it's opening
after an October in which only PG-13 and R rated movies were released. Cloudy with a Chance
of Meatballs 2 dominated the market, though that's basically run its
course. As a result, Free Birds will be essentially the only choice for
family audiences this weekend, which guarantees a solid debut. Relativity is
currently expecting $16 to $19 million, though an opening north of $20 million
seems within reach.

Playing at 3,065 theaters, Last Vegas
has the potential to be a surprise hit. CBS Films has rolled out a broad,
appealing marketing campaign that's connected with generally underserved older
audiences. They've also executed a serious word-of-mouth screening program,
though the movie only has a 41 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, so it's unclear how
strong that word actually is.

It also has iconic stars Robert
DeNiro and Michael
Douglas, though the real box office draw here may be Morgan
Freeman. This year alone, Freeman has lent strong support to Olympus Has
Fallen, Oblivion and Now You See
Me, all of which opened over $25 million (with Olympus and Now
You See Me being major surprises). CBS Films is expecting much less from
Last Vegas (around $14 million to start), though they also expect it to
be a word-of-mouth hit over the next month or so.

Universal is releasing
About
Time at 175 theaters this weekend ahead of a planned nationwide
expansion next week. The time travel romance is from the director of Love
Actually, which has created solid interest among women. Still, with a
limited release like this, it's likely that the movie earns less than $2 million
this weekend.

In very limited release, Dallas
Buyers Club is opening in nine theaters this weekend. The movie has
received strong reviews that have specifically called attention to Matthew
McConaughey's lead performance, which should drive a lot of initial interest
from arthouse audiences. At this point, though, it would be surprising if its
story (an HIV-stricken man smuggles drugs in from Mexico) resonates with average
moviegoers.

Finally, critically-acclaimed slavery drama 12 Years a
Slave expands to 410 theaters and could come close to $5
million.Forecast (Nov. 1-3)
1. Ender's Game - $26.2
million
2. Free Birds - $22 million
3. Last Vegas - $18.3
million
4. Bad Grandpa - $16 million (-50%)
5. Gravity -
$13.6 million (-32%)Bar for SuccessEnder's Game ought
to be opening to at least $25 million this weekend. Meanwhile, Free Birds
is fine at $20 million, while Last Vegas is in good shape at $15 million.

Why We Must Speak in "Visual Story"

About Me

Harold Hay is an award-winning writer, producer and director, who lives in Florence, Kentucky. He has produced numerous television shows, including 180 videos and “The Zone,” which aired on over 200 stations in North America and 15 television networks worldwide. His programs have been honored by both the NRB and the GMA for best program of the year. He is the author of the recent book, “The Red Pill, The Cure for Today’s Mass Media Culture,” which is considered a definitive work on the state of media and culture. He also has created a faith-based educational program for high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in media, film or TV. Currently, he is the president of Flannelgraph Ministries and the founder of Media Missionary School